University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) President, Dr. Safiya George, announced promotions within her cabinet recognizing the exemplary work of two accomplished leaders, Dr. Rick Nader and Una Dyer. Dr. Nader who has served as Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies at UVI for the past two years has been promoted to Vice President of Research and Economic Development. Dyer, who served as Director of Presidential Operations and Executive Director of the Foundation for the University of the Virgin Islands, has been with the University and in the Office of the President for 13 years, has been promoted to Vice President of Strategic Affairs.
“These promotions reflect both the excellent leadership demonstrated by Dr. Nader and Dyer in their respective areas of research and administration and our vision to enhance research and strategic initiatives across the University,” stated Dr. George. “As one of the leading institutions for higher education and research in the Caribbean, we want to ensure that UVI is fostering a rich research culture and contributing to economic growth in our region. Strategic planning is key to advancing this and other institutional goals.”
Dr. Nader has over 35 years of experience spanning academic affairs, research and international programming. He has led transformative research development, administration, technology transfer, government and corporate relations, and economic development success at institutions, including Texas A&M University, Mississippi State, Long Island University (LIU), and the University of North Texas (UNT).
Dr. Nader has been recognized by two Director's awards for achievements as a Program Officer at the National Science Foundation (NSF). He is a champion of global research and a two-time Fulbright awardee. Dr. Nader is an accomplished Principal Investigator, having received nearly $3 million over his career. Most recently he led two NSF projects placing UVI as the lead institution in national conversations about how to build resilience in supporting local talent and research at isolated and remote research institutions such as UVI, including University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, University of Hawaii-Hilo, University of Guam and University of Alaska-Fairbanks. The other grant was for PARADISE: “Partnerships to Advance Research and Drive Innovation in Sustainability and the Environment” to stimulate partnerships between UVI Research and the private sector to advance projects with economic and social impact. Dr. Nader loves assisting faculty to win competitive grants which has resulted in faculty securing over $300 million in competitive awards. His research interests include public attitudes toward science and technology, and he taught proposal development at the Texas A&M School of Public Health for nearly a decade. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English, a master's in public administration, and holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Texas A&M University.
“I am excited to nurture and grow UVI’s research ecosystem, engage more faculty and staff in the discovery process, and advance benefits to the USVI community through economic development,” said Dr. Nader. “By building strong ties with our community, industry and university partners including the federal and territory governments, we can expand the impact of UVI research and create more opportunities for future generations.”
As Vice President for Strategic Affairs, Dyer will take on the responsibility of overseeing the planning and execution of strategic initiatives, programs, and projects university wide. In addition, she will continue in her role as the Executive Director for the Foundation for the University of the Virgin Islands where she manages the day-to-day operations of the University’s endowment and serves as the chief operating officer. She also serves as Chief of Staff in the Office of the President.
Prior to her affiliation with UVI, Dyer spent over 20 years in the private sector with leadership responsibilities principally at Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) federally registered investment advisory and management firms. Her professional experience is extensive and diverse encompassing finance, investment management, accounting, marketing, investor relations, marketing and competitive analytical research, project management, and strategic business development.
Dyer previously served as Vice President of Operations for Taurus Advisory Group, a SEC-registered firm with up to $300 million in assets under management. Prior to that, she served as Director of Client Services for 11 years at Globalvest Management Company, a leading SEC-registered firm that specialized in emerging markets and hedge funds with up to $2 billion in assets under management. In her role, she served as a limited partner in the firm and successfully led the investor relations and marketing support department providing hands-on support to an affluent client base of money managers, and institutional and high net-worth clients globally.
“I am looking forward to delving into the strategic planning process as UVI develops a bold vision for the future and to managing the projects that will benefit our students and our community as a whole,” said Dyer.
Dyer successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in May 2024 for a Ph.D. in Creative Leadership for Innovation and Change at UVI. She holds a master's degree in accounting and financial management from the Keller Graduate School of Management and received executive leadership training at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also holds a leadership certification from Yale School of Management Executive Education’s Accelerated Management Program and is a Certified Public Manager. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a Finance concentration, with the distinction of earning the highest GPA of the graduating class, and an Associate of Arts in Business Management from UVI.
For more information, contact pr@uvi.edu.
